Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Trims Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. cut its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,365 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 11,763 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Natera were worth $9,556,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its position in Natera by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,160,963.60. This represents a 30.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 298,946 shares of company stock valued at $47,803,462. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.12.

Natera Stock Up 4.0 %

NTRA stock opened at $148.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $20.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.22 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $164.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.21. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. On average, research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natera Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.